Local communities are concerned about Sewer District fee

A storm water fee proposed by the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District has raised concerns in local communities.

The district’s board is expected to vote in early January on a fee that would charge homeowners, schools, businesses and churches for “impervious surfaces,” such as parking lots, driveways, rooftops and patios.

Strongsville expressesits displeasure

Strongsville officials expressed concerns about the storm water fee during a recent City Council meeting.

Mayor Thomas Perciak said city officials had met twice with district officials to “express displeasure“ about the proposed fee.

“We believe that we have been doing a good job at taking care of our storm water ourselves,“ he said.

Strongsville Councilman Michael Daymut, chair of the Economic Development Committee, suggested that council pass a resolution opposing the fee, which will take effect in July if district’s board approves it on Jan. 7.

Law Director Ken Kraus said that council should wait until several potential court cases involving the district’s legal authority to implement the fee are decided. The city could also join a potential lawsuit with other municipalities.

A double fee?

The fee doesn’t sit well with Broadview Heights Mayor Sam Alai either. With the city already having fees in place, residents may be seeing a double charge if the district has their way.

“My opinion is that Broadview Heights has its own sewer fee,” Alai said. “I can’t see us billing our residents twice for the same service.”

Alai does not necessarily agree with the sewer district’s discussions on the overall fee for all communities.

“I think that’s a serious flaw,” he said.

The mayor plans to discuss exemption options from the fee because of the city’s program already in place.

Not yet an issue

Storm water management is not a new issue for North Royalton.

In 2008, a storm water department was created within the service department. The four crew members specifically address storm water issues.

A storm water sewer fee is problematic because the city has already invested millions of dollars in management issues, including cleaning out culverts, investments in detention basins, maintenance work and creation of catch basins.

A small, north eastern portion of the city would be affected by the fee, said Director of Community Development Thomas Jordan.

The majority of the community is serviced by the city’s own sewer district. Officials will respond when a final decision is made by the district’s board of trustees and the courts.

Where willthe money go?

The fee would be used for operating, maintaining and improving regional sewer systems in the 62 communities that are part of the district, said Frank Greenland, director of watershed programs. The district includes Cuyahoga County, the northern half of Summit County, a small part of Columbia Township in Lorain County and Willoughby Hills in Lake County.

“This is an opportunity to bring real regionalism to the area,” Greenland said on Monday. “Storm water problems don’t just affect one or two communities in the district, they affect all the communities in the district. This is our chance to solve a problem that is regional in nature on a regional level.”

What’s the cost?

The fee would cost $4.75 per month for the average homeowner. Homeowners can get a 25 percent credit by reducing the quantity or improving the quality of storm water, Greenland said. Elderly and disabled residents can qualify for discounts.

District officials believe that storm water run-off is a regional problem that needs a regional solution, Greenland said.

“For example, if you have a stream that is eroding a bridge in one community that stream probably has storm water run-off from five or six communities,” he said. “The best method is not just to fix the erosion at the bridge in one community, but to fix the run-off in all of the communities.”

Hit hard by the fee

Perciak said the fee will hit Strongsville’s businesses and schools hard.

Businesses, schools, and churches would be charged $4.75 times the amount of impervious surfaces, Greenland said. For example, a business with a 250-car parking lot that has 120,000 square feet of impervious area would be charged $190 per month.

Businesses can receive a 75 percent credit for controlling storm-water quality and quantity, Greenland said. Schools can have the entire fee waived by managing storm water and teaching about it in the classroom.

Whatever the outcome, the future battles will be interesting to watch, Perciak said.

“This is going to be a real donnybrook, I can tell you that.”

Staff writers Jennifer Karpus and Sara Macho also contributed to this story.

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